Believe in Brouwer

The Capitals had many difficulties to deal with this past season, including getting breakout performances from the new players they added in the offseason. Sure, Joel Ward may have earned his entire $3 million paycheck with a single goal in the playoffs, and Tomas Vokoun led the goaltending corps with 25 wins, but it was only Troy Brouwer who remained consistent and lived up to expectations.

His numbers: 18 goals, 15 assists (33 points). His 247 hits led the team, while he only took 81 penalty minutes despite his physical play. His only glaringly bad number this past season was a team worst -15, a number he shared with John Carlson and Mike Knuble.

Brouwer, 27, won a Stanley Cup during his time with the Chicago Blackhawks and seems like he’ll continue to be a solid player on the Caps’ roster for years to come.